Tech3 MotoGP rookie Miguel Oliveira says he “cannot rely” on the braking style he developed in Moto2 while riding the KTM, and says the precision required under braking is “difficult”.
Portugal's first MotoGP rider Oliveira steps up to the premier class with Tech3 and KTM this year after finishing runner-up in the 2018 Moto2 standings, and is one of four rookies making the leap.
Oliveira's first two tests on the RC16 in Valencia and at Jerez proved difficult, and he finished both towards the bottom of the timesheets.
Speaking about the how Moto2 prepared him for MotoGP, Oliveira noted the biggest difference being in braking and the high “sensitivity” of the carbon brake discs.
He said: “The way of braking in Moto2, you cannot really rely on it to prepare you when you come into MotoGP because first, the power that you have on delivery is much less than in the Moto2, and of course the braking time is longer.
“So, the braking power and the sensitivity on the front lever is much higher and the time being so long you need to be really precise.
“This is what is difficult.”
Adding to this, Oliveira admitted the similar weight of a Moto2 bike compared to a MotoGP machine meant he did not find throttle management on the RC16 “really different”, and says the addition of electronics made this “easier”.
“The Moto2 bike is sliding quite a lot, obviously without traction control,” he said.
“So throttle management, you already need to have it in the Moto2, and this is not so bad to come into MotoGP [with] as this part is easier because you have a lot of electronics help to get the bike really sliding as you want it with the power delivery you want.
“So it's actually the opposite, you need to really rely on the electronic to go out of the corner.”
When asked about adapting to Michelin tyres from Dunlop, Oliveira admits he initially found it “hard” to “trust” the front of the bike to turn due to a MotoGP bike sliding less into turns.
“For me, because on a Moto2 bike we slide a while we're on the entry, that also helps us to build up the reference and turn in the bike.
“With the MotoGP, because you don't slide as much on the entry, it makes it hard to trust on the front because basically both wheels are in line and it's really hard to just rely on the front to make the bike turn.
“But, as I got a few laps I was understanding I could do a lot more than what I was doing.”
